Soft shell walking jacket with added insulation put through its paces.
Sprayway Squall Jacket -
Tested
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Price:
£100 SRP
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Weight: 800
grammes (medium)
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Features:
Soft shell jacket made from stretchy Polartec Powershield with
grid-fleece lining, removable peaked two-way adjustable hood,
adjusable hem drawcord, adjustable waist drawcord,
two large zipped mesh lined, map-sized pockets,
hook and loop cuff adjustment, zipped chest pocket
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What's It
For?
The Squall is a winter-friendly, walking soft shell jacket with added
insulation thanks to a micro-grid fleece lining. The Powershield fabric
is highly wind and water resistant and that, in tandem with a full
hood, means it can be used in anything short of full-on rain.
The Techy
Bits
The Squall uses Polartec's Poweshield fabric, which has a perforated PU
membrane. That means it's an estimated 98 per-cent windproof and very
water resistant, but the tiny holes in the membrane means that
breathability is significantly improved. This version also has a
micro-grid fleece lining for added warmth and is stretchy to
accommodate, erm, things that need accommodating. Another pint anyone?
There's also a neat removable lined hood which has been cleverly
designed so that it performs like a proper, integral, 'grown-on' hood
with two-way volume adjustment and peak, but can also be quickly
removed by undoing four studs and a zip - hood or no hood, you decide.
How It
Performed
The majority of soft shells seemed to be aimed at technical climbers
and are cut short with a close, tapered fit. That's all very well if
you're a climber with a neat, tapered body and appreciate a short cut,
but not so great for walking.
The Squall, on the other hand, is cut longer and looser, so it'll offer
more protection to your nether regions and accommodate more body shapes
while also allowing a thick mid-layer to be worn if you need it. Mostly
you probably won't though, as the micro-grid liner gives a fair bit of
extra warmth for winter walking.
It's one of the reasons the jacket does feel a little weighty - around
800 grammes for our medium one - but you have to take the extra warmth
into account. The fleece does mean it may be too warm in non-winter
conditions however.
The stretch in the fabric, for us anyway, was neither here nor there.
You'd need to be quite a big lad to appreciate it, but the hem and
waist cord adjustments allowed a reasonable fit regardless.
As usual, we're big fans of Powershield. The fabric may be 'only' 98%
windproof, but in the real world, you'd be hard pushed to feel that 2
per-cent of permeability. What you do notice is the extra breathability
which makes the Squall a comfortable jacket to use, even when working
reasonably hard. It's also very water resistant, though in really heavy
rain, you'll still need to revert to a lightweight waterproof.
We also liked the hood. It grips the top of the head, moves with your
noggin and makes the whole jacket more versatile when the weather turns
nasty or you fancy a quick stop - it's lined, so it's warmer than a
shell jacket hood, and means you don't need to carry a hat. Result. And
if you don't like it, simply take it off and leave it at home.
The collar's, high, snug and adjustable, though the adjuster is
slightly tucked away and is a little tight around the point of the
chin, so that's something you should check when buying. Other features
like cuff adjustment and hem and waist drawcords all work well. The
twin pockets both take an OS map and sit easily above a pack belt.
They're mesh lined which is a bit of a two-edged sword. On the one hand
they can be used for additional venting if you do get a tad
warm. On the other, if you use them as handwarmer pockets, you also get
additional venting, which you may not want under those circumstances.
Probably best to wear gloves...
Effective walking-friendly winter soft shell with excellent Polartec
Powershield fabric giving a good compromise - possibly the best out
there - between protection and breathability. Longer length and hood
give extended coverage and wearability and the microgrid fleece liner
makes up for the relatively high weight. And if you want, you can
always remove the hood anyway.
Spot on for walkers who want a do it all winter jacket that will cope
with everything short of heavy rain and hasn't been cut to fit super
honed outdoor athletes. And at £100 it's exceptionally good
value too.
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 Great fabric,
effective removable hood and generous, walking-specific cut plus extra
warmth from liner.
 Pocket venting
feature makes for draughty hand-warming duties.
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
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Richard Gear or try
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